The Tennis Ball That Learned Too Much: Machine Learning for Kids – Book 2

Bys: Nicolas Castro and Nancy Castro

What happens when a dog gets into the AI's training data?

Nolan, 10, needs to record 50 good kicks to teach the SmartBall 3000 real soccer. But Oreo, the family's border collie, has other plans. After a day of chewing, shaking and hiding the ball under the shoe rack, the SmartBall's best passing advice is: "grab the ball with your mouth, shake it hard, then bury it." Meanwhile, Nathan's FetchMaster 2000 has learned his entire chaos routine.

With Dad's help, the brothers become data detectives. They sort the real kicks from the Oreo mess and discover Training Mode, which controls when an AI learns.

The Tennis Ball That Learned Too Much teaches kids a big idea in artificial intelligence: data contamination. AI is only as good as the data you give it.

Nicolas and Nancy Castro wrote this series for their own sons, to help kids understand the technology they're growing up with.

Inside the book:
- A funny story about soccer, brothers and one very mischievous dog
- "AI Words to Know" training data, data contamination, clean data, data log and Training Mode
- 6 discussion questions for home or the classroom
- A screen-free "Be a Data Detective " activity

Perfect for ages 6-10, young soccer fans, and readers of Book 1, The Smart Soccer Ball Mystery.

Book 2 in the Machine Learning for Kids series.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HN8F293K
• ISBN13: 9798162516408
• Release Date: October 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 24 Pages
• Weight: 0.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.1" x 6.0"